Oracle SQL sqlldr not importing a latitude/longitude as float - oracle

Question

I am trying to import some data with sql*loader but I can't import a latitude/longitude. On the table those columns are FLOAT(126) and on the data file is just text. I tried with FLOAT EXTERNAL on the sqlldr control file but it doesn't work. I got ORA-01722: invalid number.
Describe my_table;
Name Null Type
------------------------- -------- ------------
PRE_ID NOT NULL NUMBER(38)
PRE_DH NOT NULL TIMESTAMP(6)
PRE_PRO NOT NULL NUMBER(38)
PRE_INF NOT NULL NUMBER(38)
PRE_TPL NOT NULL NUMBER(38)
PRE_LAT NOT NULL FLOAT(126)
PRE_LNG NOT NULL FLOAT(126)
data file:
55831;08/12/2016 16:48:07;1;-128;2;-22.4741249084473;-50.55194854736336
55831;09/12/2016 08:02:06;1;-128;2;-22.5002975463867;-50.8194427490234
55831;09/12/2016 19:12:06;1;-128;2;-22.5002975463867;-50.8194427490234
and sqlldr control file:
load data
infile 'my_file.csv' "str '\r\n'"
append
into table my_table
fields terminated by ';'
trailing nullcols
( PRE_ID CHAR(4000),
PRE_DH TIMESTAMP "DD/MM/YYYY HH24:MI:SS",
PRE_PRO CHAR(4000),
PRE_INF CHAR(4000),
PRE_TPL CHAR(4000),
PRE_LAT FLOAT EXTERNAL,
PRE_LNG FLOAT EXTERNAL,
)
log file:
Table MY_TABLE, loaded from every logical record.
Insert option in effect for this table: APPEND
TRAILING NULLCOLS option in effect
Column Name Position Len Term Encl Datatype
------------------------------ ---------- ----- ---- ---- ---------------------
PRE_ID FIRST 4000 ; CHARACTER
PRE_DH NEXT * ; DATETIME DD/MM/YYYY HH24:MI:SS
PRE_PRO NEXT 4000 ; CHARACTER
PRE_INF NEXT 4000 ; CHARACTER
PRE_TPL NEXT 4000 ; CHARACTER
PRE_LAT NEXT * ; CHARACTER
PRE_LNG NEXT * ; CHARACTER
value used for ROWS parameter changed from 64 to 1
Record 1: Rejected - Error on table MY_TABLE, column PRE_LAT.
ORA-01722: invalid number
Record 2: Rejected - Error on table MY_TABLE, column PRE_LAT.
ORA-01722: invalid number
Record 3: Rejected - Error on table MY_TABLE, column PRE_LAT.
ORA-01722: invalid number

Answer 1

You're seeing this because the operating system environment is set up in a way that causes Oracle to treat a comma as a decimal separator and a period as a group separator. Your error messages are in English, interestingly, so not sure exactly what you have that set to, but you can see the same thing with something like NLS_LANG="FRENCH_FRANCE.WE8ISO8859P1".
From the log you can see that the field in your CSV file is being read as character data. The target column is a float (any type of number column would have the same issue), which means an implicit conversion is happening, and is using your NLS settings. You can see the same thing more simply with:
alter session set NLS_NUMERIC_CHARACTERS='.,';
select to_number('-22.4741249084473') from dual;
TO_NUMBER('-22.4741249084473')
------------------------------
-22.4741249084473
alter session set NLS_NUMERIC_CHARACTERS=',.';
select to_number('-22.4741249084473') from dual;
Error report -
ORA-01722: invalid number
Same conversion, but the alter session is swapping the meaning of the comma and period.
You can either explicitly set your environment to something with the right NLS numeric characters via NLS_LANG:
export NLS_LANG="ENGLISH_UNITED KINGDOM.WE8ISO8859P1"
or just that specific setting:
export NLS_NUMERIC_CHARACTERS='.,'
... before running SQL*Loader.